Coin-controlled bottle vending and ejecting mechanism



C. W. ADAMS. COIN CONTROLLED BOTTLE VENDING AND EJECTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILEII FEB. 25, I920.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

MVVENTQR.

C. W. ADAMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, I920.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922,

5 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

COIN CONTROLLED BOTTLE VENDING AND EJECTING MECHANISM.

C. W. ADAMS. COIN CONTROLLED BOTTLE VENDING AND EJECTING MECHANISM;

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, I920.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

LASZT/AL 5 SHEETSSHEET 3.

[$44,1TTORNEY.

C. W. ADAMS. COIN CONTROLLED BOTTLE VENDING AND EJECTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-25,1920.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

C. W. ADAMS. COIN CONTROLLED BOTTLE VENDING AND- EJECTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, I920.

Patented Dec 5, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHELT 5.

OTU

Patented Dec; 5, IQZQ.

UNILT' GLAUDW. ADAMS, F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

COIN-CONTROLLED BOTTLE VENDING AND EJECTING MECHANISM.

' Application filed February 25, 1920. Serial No. 361,304.

. the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle ejecting and vending mechanism and has for its object to provide in an apparatus of this character a simple, inexpensive and highly efficient device whereby there is adapted to be expelled against the deposit of a. certain coin or coins a bottle containing a beverage.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a device of the kind described refrigerating means adapted to cool the bottles before they are ejected, so that the contents of each bottle ejected from the device may be in a cool, wholesome state and palatable.

A still further object of my invention is to provide in a device of the character described an arrangement effective to release but a single bottle against the deposit of predetermined coins, means being also provided whereby the bottle ejected may fall into a reoeiving'chamber.

a A still further object of my present inven tion is to devise a mechanism that may be fool-proof, interchangeable and reliable thatwill assure the ejection of a bottle from a receptaclein which all the bottles are arranged in horizontal alignment.

VVith the above and other objects in View my invention consists in the arrangement, combination, and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the several views,

FlglllgdfiSYliIiOHt elevation of my invention,

Figure 2 is a top plan View thereof,

Figure 3 is an end elevation thereof,

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section thru my mechanism, 1

Figure 5 is another longitudinal section thru my mechanism,

Figure 6 is a view of the coin-controlled therebeneath 1s adapted to receive mckels.

mechanism in top plan.

Figure 7 is a detail view of a spring to be described,

Figure 8 is a detail View of the pawl and ratchet mechanism to be described,

Figure 9 is a detail fragmental view of the sprocket chain looking in top plan,

Figure 10 is'a side elevation of the spring shown in Fig. 7,

- Figure 11 is a detail view of a bracket,

Figure 12 is another top plan view of the sprocket mechanism,

Figure 13 is a cross section thru the receptacle containing the coin controlled mechanism,

Figure 14 is a fragmental vdetail view of the sprocket mechanism.

Figure 15. is an end view of the sprocket gear to be described,

Figure 16 is a front elevation of the receptacle holding the bottles, being partly broken away,

Figure 17 is a modified construction of the receptacle taken in cross-section,

Figure 18 is a fragmental detail view of the coin-controlled locking mechanism,

Figure 19 is a View similar to Fig. 18 but showing the locking detent partially released from position,

Figure 20 isa still further view similar to Fig. 18 and showing the locking detent in locked position,

Figure 21 is a View, partly in section showing the front side of the registering wheel to be described,

Figure 22 is a topplan view of the locking detent, and

Figure 23 is a rear end view of the regis tering wheel.

In the drawings which are merely illustrative of my invention, A designates the receptacle for holding all the parts of my invention. The receptacle A is preferably cut away as at B and is curved in configuration as designated at C and D. The door 1 1s hinged at 2 and has a catch 3 locked by a lock 4. The ejected bottle is arranged to be delivered upon and thru the receiving chamber 5, communicating with the ice receptacle 43 to be described. A main drive shaft 8 -coin slots are respectively vertical and horizontal, the vertical coin slot 11 receiving dimes while the horizontal coin slot directly Fixed upon the shaft 8 is a register wheel 17 to be described. The coin delivery guide member 14 extends downwardly from the dime slot 11, while the coin delivery guide member 13 inclines downwardly from the nickel slot 12. The forward end 15 ofthe coin delivery guide member 14projects in advance of the coin chute or delivery guide member 13 as shown in Fig. 17. It will be noticed that the register wheel 17 is formed at spaced apart circumferential points with a series of notches 18, four being shown although it is understood that the number may be increased or decreased at will. Immediately in advance of each notch 18 and formed upon the periphery of the register wheel 17 are cams 19 acting as tappets to lift the curved outer end 20 of a locking detent 21 fulcrumed intermediate its ends upon a pivot 22, this detent being in the nature of alever having the relatively wider portion 23 as an integral part thereof, the ast-named portion being provided with a curved portion 24 as shown in Figure 22, etc. A support 25 has one end of a coiled spring 26 secured thereto which at its other end is secured to the locking detent 21. In the modified form of my invention shown in Figure 17 the front side of the receptacle inclines upwardly as at 31. In this form of my invention it will be seen that the crank shaft is designated 30 and carries within the receptacle proper a gear 29 meshing with another gear 28, the latter being fixed upon the usual shaft 8. On the shaft 8 is fixed the sprocket gear 36 carrying sprocket teeth 37 these sprocket teeth being flanked by the side walls 34 and 35 formed upon the gear thus providing a guide channel for accommodating the series of bottle holding bottomless tubes 41 carried by the sprocket chain 41 composed of the links 42 hingedly connected in any suitable manner to either side of each tube 41 so as to permit the sprocket chain to flex freely around the circumference of the sprocket gear 36. The guide flanges or side walls 34, 35 thus guide the tubes against lateral displacement as the pass over the sprocket gear.

It will be noticed that the sprocket chain is arranged to extend over the longitudinal upper portion of the receptacle 43, in which may be placed ice 44 so as to cool the surroundings of the bottle carrying mechanism. This receptacleis arranged horizontally and supported by brackets 45 at its sides between which the lower strand of the conveyor chain 41 travels. The ice receptacle is drained by a pipe 46 having an outlet 47 By opening the door 1 ice may be placed in this receptacle. The bottles 42 will slide and be supported upon the horizontal top of the receptacle 43 and will fit the respective tubes 41 carried by the sprocket chain, and the sprocket chain is also trained upon another sprocket gear fixed upon the shaft 53 journaled within the bearings 54, 55, the sprocket gear on shaft 53 being constructed and formed in exactly the same manner as the sprocket gear 36. In this manner it will be seen that the sprocket chain and the attached tubes 41 will travel from one end toward the other end of the receptacle 43. The bottles will thus slide on this receptacle until a point is reached where one bottle will reach the opening 5 in the receptacle where upon the bottle will be ejected into the pocket or opening 5 and will gently drop upon the cushion 6 having the springs 7. The operator may then insert his hand into the pocket and remove the bottle ejected.

I will now describe the coin controlled mechanism and how it operates. Supposing that it will cost the operator fifteen cents to purchase a bottle of'soft drink, it will be'necessary for the operator to insert two coins of determinate sizes, one dime and one nickel in order to release a bottle. The ratchet element 48 is fixed upon a bracket arm 50 which is secured upon the side wall A of the receptacle. This ratchet element cannot thus rotate. The guide flange or side wall 34 which is formed upon the sprocket gear carries apin 49 upon which is pivoted freely the pawl 49 held in constant engagement with the ratchet 48 by means of the spring 52 pressing the pawl against the teeth of this ratchet. This ratchet and pawl mechanism is adapted to prevent the travel of the sprocket chain and of the bottle holding tubes in a counter direction from that necessary to feed the bottles in the direction of the delivery pocket 5.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The operator desiring to eject a'bottle from the receptacle will insert a dime through the slot 11 and a nickel down the slot 12, whereupon the dime and nickel will respectively slide down the chutes or guide members 14 and 13. The spring 26 is of such a tension that when the locking detent 21 has its wider portion 23 opposed by the weight of the two coins, the dime and the nickel, the curved end 20 of this detent will. be raised out of contact with the register wheel 17 fixed upon the driving shaft 8, because the coins 32, 33 as shown in Figure 18 bearing against the portion 23 of this locking detent will force down and depress this end of the detent thereby causing the other end of the curved end 20 of this detent to lift out of the particular notch 18 of register wheel 17 in which it may at the time be projecting. Normally the curved end 20 of this detent will project in one of these notches 18 of the, register wheel. It will now be seen that a dime alone (see Figure 20) will be ineffective to depress the detent out of locking engagement thru the curved end 20 with the register wheel, and it will thus be necessary for the operator to insert the other required coin, the nickel. Itshould be necessary for the operator to first insert the nickel, which latter coin slides down the chute 13 and rests upon the curved end 24 of the locking detent lever 21, thus forming a platform for holding and solely supporting the dime; the consequence of hiserting the dime in the chute therefor first is losing the coin, which will normally drop Letters Patent 1sthru the channel in the direction of the ar- 5 row shown in Figure'20. However when lit the nickel is deposited thru the chute 13 it will be supported at one point uponthe tip end of the chute 13 and upon the curved end 24 of the detent 21 as shown in .Figure 18 the dimewill then be introduced thru the chute 14 and will be held upright between the side walls of chute 14at one point and be supported directly upon the nickel, the latter forming a platform therefor, the only under supportthe dime will thus have. It will be noticed that while the end 23 of the detent will be depressed against the combined weight of the two coins as already explained it will no'tbe depressed far enough to permit the curved end 24 of this detent to permit the coins being expelled from the chutes. In order to efl'ect this the earns 19 have been provided. As soon as the two coins have depressed the curv'edend 20 of the detent out of any of the notches 18 formed in the register Wheel, the' operator who holds his hand upon the crank handle 10 will be able to turn the register wheel and the shaft 8 with it, and as soon as the cam 19 next in order comes along and acts against the curved end 20 of this detent as shown in Figure 19 the curved end 20 of this detent will have been further forced upwardly, this time far enough to permit the two coins to fall out of contact with the chutes, etc. This operation is shown in Figure 19. p p

It will be understood that as the operator turns the sprocket gear thru the crank arm the sprocket gear will turn the chain carrying the bottle holdingtubes, thus advancing the next bottle in order and sliding it upon the top of the refrigerator receptacle until the place is reached where this bottle will be carried off from this receptacle and land in the pocket 5, where the operator will get hold of it and be able to remove the same. The various parts are so timed that when the bottle is ejected the curved end 20 of the detent will automatically snap against the tension of spring 26 exerted upon it into another notch 18 formed upon this register wheel, thus locking the crank shaft again until two more coins, a nickel and a dime will be introduced into their respective chutes and the operation mentioned above will then be repeated. As

the shaft 8 rotates and carries the sprocket gear around the pawl 49 of the; guide wall 34 will ride over the respective teeth of the ratchet thus preventing the rotation of the sprocket gear in a counter direction.

Numerous modifications maybe introduced in practice without departing in principle from the details of. construction disclosed herein and covered in the purviewof the appended claims.

What I desire to claim and secure by 1. In a device ofthe character described, the combination of a longitudinally extending vessel having an ice box provided with a.- horizontal top surface, an endless carrier adapted to travel around said vessel and including bottomless bottle holding elements, the bottles in said elements being supportedonly on one side of the vessel on.

their ends on said top surface, said vessel having a recess extending down through said top surface for receiving bottles from said elements on end, a manually operated crank for setting said carrier in motion,

and coin controlled mechanism governing the movement of said crank.

2. In a vending machine, the combination of a conveyor movable over a surface,

.said conveyor having a plurality of open ended tubes in which bottles or packages may be placed to rest against said surface, said surface having an opening in the path of said tubes, and a horizontal receiving chamber'under said opening, whereby the bottles or packages will be deposited in said chamber in the same position in which they are located on said surface by the movement of said'conveyor.

3. lln a device of the character described, the combination of a horizontal .ice-box having a recess constituting a receiving chamber within an ice box, means for feeding bottles over said icebox, means for ejecting bottlesiinto said receiving chamber, coin controlled mechanism for said last named meana and a manually controlled means adapted to be controlled by said coin mechanism for actuating the feeding means.

4. lin a device as described, in combination, a longitudinally extending vessel having a bottle receiving chamber, a bottle carrier adapted to travel around said vessel and over said chamber, and to automatically eject-bottles into said chamber, said carrier moving only in one direction, coin controlled mechanism effective to lock said carrier against movement, and a manually controlled actuator for said carrier timed by said coin controlled mechanism.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a receptacle having a horizontal top supporting a longitudinal series of bottles, a horizontally movable conveyor adapted to move the bottles along corner of said top. a chamber in the l'euep- In witness whereof I have hereunto set tacle in position for receiving said ejected my hand and alfixed my seal this second day bottles, rotatable means for actuating said of February, L920.

conveyor, a locking element preventing the CLAUD \V. i-XDAMS [hbL] rotation of said rotatable means. and cheek Attested: controlled mechanism adapted to, time the WILLIAM E. BAFF,

action of said locking element. SILAS H. LORD. 

